Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Tuesday Think - All the Same

So, it's Tuesday, thinking day, once again. I'm not too sure where this one is gonna go yet - probably into rant territory, sorry - but today I thought I'd think about how we're really all the same. We may look different, but other than that, we're all pretty much identical. It's true, whether we like it or not. We're all the same.
Take celebrities, for instance. I mean, I love a good actor, musician, etc. just as much as the next person, but I'm sick of society idolising them and making them the standard, the goal, of what we're supposed to look like, act like, live like. When did being a good actor make you a good person? When did being able to sing make you better than anyone else? When did they stop being movie stars, and become gods? Why are we expected to meet Hollywood standards that are purely fantasy in real life?
And why do we only see what we want to see of people we look up to (or even look down to...) and not view reality? For example, millions of my fellow females would literally chop off their arms to meet Robert Pattinson for just a second, yet is he really the Mr. Perfect he is portrayed as? No. He smokes, gets drunk, swears - I'm totally not picking on him, he's just the first thing that came to mind - he's only human. Just a human - no different than the rest of us. A messed-up, frail, measly old human like all of our calloused, beautiful kind - from the sherpas of Tibet, to the child soldiers of Uganda, to the rich of L.A. and everything in between.
Am I starting to make sense at all? We're all exactly the same. No one is better. No one is worse. We all live. We all die. We all desire love. Security. Approval. Happiness. Hope. We're all afraid of something. We're all worried about something. We're all struggling with soemthing.
Some people have gotten pro at wearing a mask that says "I'm all good" but is anyone ever really "all good"? I don't think so. Some try so desperately to cover up their mistakes, flaws, faults - sins - whatever you want to call them. They put up happy facades of perfectness. But is anyone ever perfect? No. Is anyone ever happy all the time? No. Is anyone ever truly happy when they're trying to convince others they are? No.
Why do we all try so hard to impress each other? Who do we think we're kidding? And why do we still fall for people's lying games over and over? Why do we constanly compare ourselves to others? Why is our society so ridiculously obssessed with comparing and contrasting? Why can't we just be happy with what we've got? Why can't we accept our past failures and move along to a brighter future?
Why can't we grow up and realise that we're all the same? We're all human. We all stuff up. Over and over again. And again. We're all stupid at times. We're all suffering. Fighting. Wrestling. Battling. We all get angry. We all get embarassed. We all get depressed. We all need each other. We all need God.
When we boil down the hype and hash, we're all exactly the same. Let's accept it, and let that knowledge impact us in our dealings with others. Let's be careful, because we all have feelings and fears. Let's be loving, because we all need care and acceptance. Let's help each other, because we all have needs. Let's stop seeing what we want to, and start seeing through God's eyes, the truth. Let's stop letting the few (celebrities) set what is right for the many (the rest of us). Let's keep in mind that we. are. all. the. same.
This is getting loooong, so one last thing. I love humans. I love the fact that we're stupid. I love that we're helpless. I love that we mess up. Yeah, it sounds whack, but it's true. I love that we can't make it on our own, no matter how hard we try. I love our weaknesses. Because our every hang-up, mess-up and stitch-up screams that we need God. We cannot do it without Him. And I wouldn't have it any other way. But, I also love that although we are essentially the same, He has created us so uniquely, so differently, so specially. I love the gifts and talents He gives us. I love our sense of curiosity, wonder, discovery, creativity, responsibility, delight, humour... I love the beauty in each and every person. I love our crazy, mixed-up, gorgeous world. And God does too.
Well, good night. Happy thinking! (I always love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to follow my ranting lead...)

5 comments:

  1. Oh, I love me a good rant! You're absolutely right.

    And Robert Pattison isn't even a real shiny vampire. So, no big whoop.

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  2. Ha ha, thanks, katdish. And I'm glad it's no big whoop!

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  3. My daddy was Hungarian (read my blog long enough, and you'll be able to pass a pop quiz on that...). When my daddy was a boy, they had a saying that went like this.

    The king is a big man. But he still can't eat cookies with a shovel.

    And that's how I was brought up to view celebrities and famous people.
    So what? It's not like they can eat cookies with a shovel.

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  4. Helen, that is the best saying I've ever heard! I'm going to work it in to my vocabulary forevermore.
    But, I do know someone who CAN eat cookies with a shovel... COOKIE MONSTER! *gobblegobblegobble*
    Anyway, thanks again!

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  5. Cookie Monster....now there is a celebrity I have followed for years....

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